


The Internship

by PiperJean



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Airplanes, F/M, Fluff, Grey, Identity Reveal, Internship, Leaving Home, New York, Paris (City), Phone Calls, Train Station, living in New York, saying goodbye, sorry its so cheesy whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-27 20:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6299293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiperJean/pseuds/PiperJean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette gets an internship in New York at a fashion company, but is she ready to leave Paris, and everything she has there, behind?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Grey Train Station

Marinette took a deep breath of cold air.

Everything was grey.

The walls. The steps. The sky. The air seemed to hang limply around her, muffling her in even more grey.

The sound of her rolling suitcase bumping against the stairs echoed through the empty train station. I mean, it was 5:30 in the morning. Of course no one else was here. Everyone else in the city of Paris was in their beds not having to worry about ever leaving such a wonderful place.

Marinette took in another deep breath and automatically missed the lovely smell of her parents' bakery. She thought about digging into the bag of croissants her dad had made her but decided to wait until she got on the train. Her phone buzzed. It was her mother, probably calling to make sure for a fifth time that Marinette had packed everything. Most of the boxes were already on their way to New York. All Marinette had with her was a bright red suitcase and a small black purse, in which was all she would need when she got to the airport. And of course, Tikki, who was snacking on a chocolate-chip cookie. She picked up her phone, and took another deep breath.

"Hi, Mom," Marinette sounded sadder than she had meant to, and tried to perk up so she wouldn't worry her mother. "What's up?" she asked, overly cheerful.

"Just checking in one last time. Is something the matter?" Marinette sighed. Mothers know all.

“Just…” Marinette started but faded off. “Just sad to be leaving Paris.” She forced the words out, not wanting to believe them herself.

“Awe, sweetie,” her Mom’s voice was soft but tired. Her parents had stayed up late packing with her and woke up early to say goodbye. “You’ll have such a good time in New York. Plus, Alya is coming to visit you there next Sunday! You have that to look forward to.” Marinette smiled. She couldn’t wait to walk around the famous New York city with her best friend.

“Thanks, Mom,” she hung up after another goodbye. Marinette felt better, but still couldn’t help thinking about all the things she’d be leaving behind. Without even meaning to, a specific, blonde-haired, model popped right into her head.

"I should call Adrien," she said aloud quietly, her heart racing. "If I say something stupid, I don’t have to worry. It’s not like I’m ever seeing him again."

Her heart ached as she thought about those last words, but she had already cried all the tears she could for the boy who would never know how she felt. Her finger hesitated over his contact, but she eventually scrolled through to click on Alya's name.

“Hey, Mari,” Alya’s voice was tired too, and Marinette suddenly remembered it was 5:30 in the morning.

“Aw crap,” Marinette said, kicking a pebble in front of her on to the train tracks. “I woke you up, didn’t I?”

“No…” Alya started to say, but couldn't stifle a yawn.

Both girls giggled, and both tried to avoid the topic that they wouldn’t be seeing each other that much anymore.

They were in the middle of talking about what the food would be like in New York when Marinette suddenly blurted out,

“I’m going to miss you so much, Alya.”

Her voice was shaking. She realized they had been avoiding the topic so much that she had never actually said it aloud. She heard Alya crying.

“I’m going to miss you too, Marinette.” Alya’s voice shook too.

They sat there, listening to one another cry. One at a grey train station, the other curled up in her bed at home. Finally, Alya broke the absence of words.

“Mari, I have to go. My mom’s coming upstairs and she’s wondering why I’m up so early,”

Marinette looked at her watch. 5:45. The train should be here soon.

“Okay,” she said, pulling her jacket closer around her. “You’re coming to visit me in New York on Sunday, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Marinette could feel Alya smile through the phone. “Wouldn’t even miss it if Ladybug wanted an exclusive interview that very day.”

Marinette’s face turned red and she awkwardly laughed.

“Yeah,” she started, picking her words carefully. “I think Ladybug’s taking a break for a while.”

“Hmm?” Alya said. She hadn’t heard what Marinette had said.

“I said I hope you get some good videos for your blog,”

“Aw thanks,” Alya said. “I’ll keep you posted if anything exciting happens.”

Marinette sadly smiled, and looked off into the horizon to see if she could spot the approaching train. She couldn’t.  
“Well, I gotta go, Marinette,” Alya yawned again. “I’ll see you on Sunday. Call me when your plane lands!” And she hung up.

Marinette stood there, her phone still to her ear, wanting to pretend Alya was still on the phone with her, that it was just a normal Monday and they were just talking because neither could sleep. It had slowly gotten colder and her cheeks, nose, and ears were red and stinging. Her watch said 5:48. The train was late.

She stood, shivering, with the cold glass of her phone screen still pressed up against her ear, and she made a decision right there.

With shaking fingers, she scrolled through her phone contacts and clicked one name:

Adrien Agreste.


	2. The Phone Call

The phone rang twice before he answered.

“Hello? Marinette?” His voice didn’t sound tired. In fact, it seemed like he’d been awake for a while.

“H-hi,” her voice was shaking and she shook her head. She still couldn’t help stuttering around him.

“Have you left for New York yet? I called your house phone to say goodbye but your parents said you’d already le--” Marinette didn’t hear the end of that sentence. All she could focus on was that Adrien had called to say goodbye.

She tried to put the thought out of her head, realizing she would miss him even more now.

“Anyway,” Adrien’s voice was so calm and she envied his ease at talking without stuttering. “How are you?”

“Sad to be leaving.” she said quietly. 

“I get that,” he said. His voice was so sincere that it made Marinette’s heart hurt.

“But I’m happy I don’t have to take finals while all you losers who are staying here do.” Marinette said with an evil grin. Adrien laughed. She loved his laugh. His laugh was light and sounded like the bell on a cat’s collar.

“Anyway, I, uh, I called you for a reason actually,” Marinette was forcing the words out, saying them before she could stop herself.

“Yeah?” Adrien said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He did this adorable thing where when he was smiling and talking, his voice would perk up and his words would stretch out. She recognized it automatically. “What is it?” he asked. 

God, that smile. That adorable smile.

“Well since I’m leaving I won’t really see you anymore, and so I’ll just go out and say it.”

He was quiet on the other end.

“Adrien,” Marinette started, and realized that she wasn’t stuttering. “Adrien, I like you. It sounds cheesy and stupid saying it but it’s true. Ever since that day you handed me that umbrella, I’ve been crazy for you.” Her voice was rising with confidence but suddenly got quiet again. “So, um, that’s why I called.”

Adrien was quiet.

Thoughts spun through Marinette’s head in a whirlwind.

Adrien was still quiet, but she could hear him breathing. 

The train pulled up in front of her, breaking the unbearable silence.

All of her emotions suddenly seemed to ball up into one:

Just sad. Sad that Adrien didn’t like her back. Sad and humiliated that she thought something would come out of this. Instead of acting sad though, her words came out as if she was angry.

“Well,” she said, quickly. “It’s not like you care anyway.” And she hung up. 

Marinette stuffed her phone in her pocket, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and walked briskly through the opening doors of the train.


	3. The Early-Morning Train Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this chapter! Special thanks to my co-editor: Fallen_Hufflepuff <3 
> 
> If you have any feedback, criticism, or just need to randomly rant about Miraculous, feel free to comment below. Thanks!
> 
> ~Piper

Tikki flew up and out of her bag, cookie crumbs covering her mouth. Marinette looked around nervously, afraid someone would spot her Kwami, but no one else was on the train.

“Are you excited, Marinette?” Tikki’s cheery and adorable voice always managed to make Marinette feel better. She must have not heard the girl’s conversation with Adrien.

“I guess so, Tikki,” Marinette said, and she was. This internship was the start of her fashion career, and if she put the thought of leaving Paris out of her head, she was excited. She tried to think about how fun New york would be, but her mind was elsewhere.

She just couldn’t stop thinking about Adrien.

Was he thinking about her right now? Or was he already thinking about something else? Did he even care at all?

Marinette wanted to change the subject so she could worry about something else other than an adorable, blonde, boy that she would miss terribly.

“Tikki?” She started. 

Don’t think about Adrien.

Tikki looked up at her with her big, indigo-colored eyes. 

“Do you think Chat Noir will be alright fighting Akumas without me?” She realized that she never got to say a real goodbye to her long-time crime fighting partner. She tried to remember the last time they did a fist bump. Something else to add to her list of what she would miss.

“He’ll be fine,” Tikki assured her, floating over to rest on Marinette’s shoulder. 

Marinette still didn’t believe her. She wished she’d gotten to tell Chat she was leaving, but there just wasn’t the time. She’d only found out that she got the internship last week. Her parents had made sure everything was prepared for her trip long before last week though. They never doubted that she would get the job. 

Passport, packing, and papers. That was the young fashion designer’s life for the past month, but now that she was actually leaving, she didn’t want to believe it.

Tikki hopped up from Marinette’s shoulder and snuggled against her cheek, her small red antennae tickling the girl's jaw.

“I can tell you're sad, Mari,” Tikki said. “But you’ll always have me with you, no matter where you go.”

Marinette was about to respond when a tall, lean, girl stepped onto the train and Tikki had to disappear into Marinette’s purse. The girl slipped into the seat across from Marinette and was talking on the phone. She had curly, red hair and a dusting of freckles across her nose.

“I know, I know,” the girl had a clear and bright voice. “Dinner at 7:00, I got it. See you tonight, sweetie. Love you too. No, I love you more. Okay. Bye, sweetie.” The girl quickly but reluctantly pressed the red 'end call' button on her cell phone before shooting Marinette a small smile.

“Where are you headed to at 6:00 in the morning?” The girl said, trying to start a conversation.

“Ah, but you’re forgetting that you’re here at 6:00 in the morning as well,” Marinette said with a smile. The girl laughed and Marinette looked down at her shoes.

“You got me,” the girl said. “The name’s Elaine.” 

“Marinette.”

“Nice to meet you, Marinette.” Suddenly, Elaine’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up. She rolled her eyes but was smiling so Marinette could tell she was happy. “My boyfriend,” she said apologetically, pressing a button. She answered the phone in which she told her boyfriend that he didn’t need to call “four times each morning.” This was followed by a string of I-love-you’s.

Marinette smiled but felt a huge knot in her stomach.

That could have been Adrien and her, she thought, rubbing the corner of her own cellphone in her pocket. If things had worked out perfectly, she would be on the phone with him right now telling him that she loved him.

Marinette felt like she was going to be sick. The train was suddenly moving too fast, and each small bump was jarring.

The train stopped, and Elaine got off, still on the phone. Marinette was relieved by the silence. Tikki popped her head out of her purse.

“You ok?” She asked, cocking her little head to the side.

“Yeah,” Marinette said, looking out the window. “Why?”

“You just sounded, well kind of off. That’s all.” Tikki went back to whatever snack she had in her purse. Marinette kept looking out the window, staring at nothing in particular, and trying not to feel sick. 

She realized she’d made a huge mistake.


	4. The Uneasy Plane Trip

Boarding the plane had been easier than Marinette had imagined. Now that she sat here, with the plane lifting off the ground, she seemed to be the only one awake. A quick glance around the cabin proved her suspicion to be correct. 

The dark-haired girl stared down at her phone. A flight attendant's voice suddenly echoed through the speakers, reminding the passengers not to use a cell phone while the plane was taking off or landing. Well, at least she now had a reason for not calling Adrien back. Part of her wanted to give in and call him immediately but she had no idea what she would say. And what if he didn’t care? What would she do then?

The sudden turbulence of the plane jolted her out of her thoughts and back into reality. The last time she’d been on a plane was when she was five, and she slept for most of it. Her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton as the plane gained altitude. Suddenly, her eyes snapped back to her little, black purse as she felt movement in her lap. Tikki rustled around and unzipped the bronze-colored zipper just enough to peek out at Marinette.

“Marinette?” Tikki squeaked, her voice shaking.

“Yes, Tikki?” She saw her friend’s little body shivering.

“Marinette, I don’t like airplanes.”

The girl smiled warmly and put a gentle hand over her precious Kwami. Her head rested against the cool glass of the window as she stared out onto the skyline. The Eiffel tower rose above everything else and she couldn’t help but remember all the times she had destroyed it and magically fixed it with her partner. She didn’t let herself get sad about it so that the memory would stay happy in her mind. With thoughts of black cats and city skylines floating around her head, Marinette promptly fell asleep. 

_______________________

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” A bright voice woke her up. A flight attendant with straight, blonde hair stood above her, pushing a cart.

“Uh,” Marinette started, pushing hair out of her face and behind her ear. “Do you have any coffee?” She asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

“No, we’re all out, Ma'am,” the woman said with a frown.

“Oh okay, uh I don’t think so then.” Marinette turned back towards the window as the woman moved along with her cart. Her eyes flickered up to see that the seat belt light wasn’t on, so she got up to use the bathroom. 

As she was washing her hands, the plane jolted to the side and Marinette found the front of her shirt soaked with water. After grabbing a fistful of paper towels, she stumbled back to her seat as the plane began to shake again. The seat belt light flicked on with a small ping. Marinette felt the Kwami in her purse shaking. A young man across the aisle was clutching the armrest as if his life depended on it. He glanced over to flash her a small and nervous smile, then went back to staring straight ahead.

Marinette wanted to grip her armrest as well, but kept her hands on top of her shivering purse, hoping no one would notice it’s movement. Gazing out the window, she prayed she didn’t look as uneasy as the trembling man across from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for being M.I.A. for so long on this story! This is kind of a short chapter, but I promise we are getting somewhere soon.
> 
> As usual, creds to my best friend and amazing editor, Fallen_Hufflepuff. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this and stick with it. You guys make me really happy and reading your comments brightens my day. <3
> 
> ~ Piper


	5. The New Home

Marinette was having the unluckiest day she had had since little Tikki had come into her life. 

First of all, she hadn’t had any caffeine yet that day. She just wanted to go get some coffee and relax but could she do that? No, because she had been waiting for 34 minutes and 17 seconds for her stupid suitcase to come out through the conveyer belt at the airport. After another five minutes had gone by and her bag was yet to appear, she walked up to the desk.

“Excuse me?” She asked the bored-looking flight attendant. She suddenly realized that this woman might not speak French. She tried again in the little English she had learned before she came here. 

“Yes?” The woman replied with a tired voice, staring at her computer screen. Her long, fake nails were clicking loudly as she typed quickly on the old keyboard.

“Where is my bag?” Marinette tried in her broken English. The woman virtually rolled her eyes.  
“Name?” She asked, typing rapidly still.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

“Hold on,” the woman still didn’t make eye contact with the girl. “It should be here. There’s no notice that it’s still in France. Are you sure your bag isn’t there?” She asked this as if Marinette was stupid.

Marinette crossed her arms. “I’m sure,” she said defiantly. The woman raised her eyebrows at the girl’s sudden attitude, and Marinette suddenly felt like she was shrinking in the woman’s icy stare. She uncrossed her arms. Turning away, the flight attendant punched some numbers into a telephone next to her.

“Yes, says she doesn’t have her bag. Are there any more out there? Ah, okay, she’ll be right there.” The woman hung up and turned towards Marinette, finally meeting her eyes. 

“There’s a door to the right. Go outside. They found a bag behind the truck that they didn’t bring in.”

“Je vous-” Marinette began to say thank you in French but quickly corrected herself and switched to English. “Thank you.” 

_____________________

The wind and cold was much harsher here than in Paris. Wisps of Marinette’s hair tickled her face as they escaped her two pigtails. Her new boots dragged through the shallow puddles from the recent rain. She saw someone pick up her suitcase out of a fairly deep puddle where it had been left. It was a tall, strong looking man wearing huge, yellow rain boots.

The broad-shouldered man walked up to her, carrying her soaking wet suitcase as if it weighed nothing. He nodded to her as he set it down at her feet. Taking the plastic handle, Marinette trudged back inside with her shoulders hunched. So far, New York was not that great. In fact, it was terrible and Marinette only wished to be back home.

_____________________

All the apartment buildings looked the same to Marinette. She was already having a terrible day, and so of course the universe decided to go and make it worse. So there she stood, a confused French girl, standing on the corner a particularly dirty street in the middle of New York City. She wanted to ask for directions but the last two people she’d stopped had shrugged her off. After what felt like hours, she found the tan colored building wedged in between two larger ones. Opening the door to the first floor, she pulled out her phone to look at the text her mother sent her of the flat’s floor and number. 

Apartment 2A.

The hallways in the building were clean and newly painted, but lacked liveliness. The only light was filtered through two small windows on each side, along with a few fluorescent fixtures overhead. The carpet was grey and in need of replacement. Suddenly, being the clumsy girl she was, she hit her head on a small part of the wall that stuck out. Stumbling backwards, she realized it was a door frame. Carefully stepping past it, she found herself in front of a large, wooden door. The small, metal letters read 2A.

“This is your new home, Marinette.” She whispered to herself and slid the brass-colored key into the lock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this new chapter! Any feedback or questions for this story as it comes along? Please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading!
> 
> As usual, thanks to my lovely editor and proof reader: Fallen_Hufflepuff <3
> 
> ~Piper


	6. The Groceries

The flat felt huge around her, most likely because there was no furniture in it. The basics were sent over a week before. Marinette spotted a fridge, built in oven, and with a peek into her room there was a bed frame and desk. That was it. Light streamed in from the huge windows on one wall. She couldn’t help feeling at least a little excited as she looked out to see a gorgeous view of a busy street. The buildings pierced the blue sky and the young fashion designer had never seen so many taxis. Suddenly, a thin, black cat pounced gracefully onto her balcony. 

Her first thought was: “Wait, I have a balcony here too?” But this was quickly replaced by a tug of homesickness in her heart. Who knew how long it would be until she was Ladybug again? And even if she did get to be, her trusty partner wasn’t there to fight by her side. She never realized how close she had been to Chat until he wasn’t there anymore. 

Suddenly feeling very dizzy from the street view, Marinette moved slowly to the center of the room. There were no chairs and so she sat down in the middle of the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to cry. This wasn’t crying that Marinette had ever experienced before. This crying felt like her heart was being torn out of her chest and up through her mouth and eyes. She tried to hold everything back but the emotions flowed out of her in a tidal wave. Her entire body shook with sobs. She caught a glimpse of red as her Kwami fluttered out of her hiding spot. Marinette couldn’t bring herself to look at Tikki.

The small creature cocked her head to the side as she spoke. “Marinette?” Her big, indigo eyes were confused and scared for the crying girl. 

Marinette choked through tears and whispered “Tikki, I think I miss home already.”

The Kwami nuzzled up against her cheek and wiped a few tears away. 

“I know what will make you feel better, Marinette.”

“What is it, Tikki?”

The little red bug’s eyes grew wide and a smile spread across her face. “Cookies!” Marinette tried to laugh but it sounded more like she was choking through her tears.

“Are you sure that’s not just because you're hungry?” As she said this she realized how hungry she was herself. In fact, she was starving. The girl had grown up above a bakery and always had food around, and so it came as quite a surprise when she opened the fridge and it was empty. I mean, of course it was empty, she hadn’t done any shopping yet. Now she would have to go out into this new city, barely knowing the language, and try to find a decent place to buy groceries. 

___________________

Milk, Cereal, Bread, Apples, Strawberries, and Microwave dinners.

She was surprised at herself about the last one, but she figured she’d want to get situated in her new home before she started actually cooking dinner in it. 

She held the paper bag by the bottom, fearing the bag would rip due to the gallon of milk resting at it's bottom.As she walked through the crowd of people, she tripped over someone's leg, sending her flying forward. She skid across the cement as apples rolled out of the bag and scattered everywhere. Looking up, she expected someone to be there to help her up, but the person she tripped over had moved on. As she began to recollect her groceries, she saw a man picking some up. At first, this looked like he was helping, but when he pocketed an apple and a container of strawberries she stomped towards him. Adrenaline and anger pulsed through her as she approached  
“Excuse me?!” She asked, crossing her arms and trying to look taller than she actually was. By the confused look on his face she realized she had accidentally spoken in French. Her voice was unsteady as she spoke again.

“Those are my groceries you just took.” She tried in her best English. What was she doing? Confronting a stranger about taking her food? She would have never done this in Paris. Then again, no one would take her food in Paris. The man grinned.

“And you're going to stop me?” He patted her head as if she was four years old and smirked. “Sure, sweetie.” The young girl shrunk back, suddenly not feeling very confident in confronting him. He let out a sneering laugh and walked away.

Marinette stood staring after him, fuming. The hero in her made her want to prove herself by getting her food back. Maybe she just had a strange love for red food, but nothing sounded more delicious to her right there than a crisp apple or sweet strawberry. But she couldn’t follow him, she was too scared. Even if she turned into Ladybug to try to stop him, what would she do then? And how would she transform without anyone noticing? It was just too complicated. She decided to let it go, but it still left her in a foul mood as she walked away, making sure to grab the rest of her groceries before anyone else took them. 

____________________

She stared sadly at the single, apartment key on her “New York” keychain she had gotten at the airport. While balancing her food in one arm, she reached forward to slide the key into the lock only to realize that the door was slightly ajar.

“Oh shit,” she mumbled dizzily, putting her hand against the wall to stay upright. She’d spent one day here and someone had broken into her apartment already. 

Trembling she pushed the door open.

Marinette promptly dropped her bag of groceries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for so long, I had a bit of a writers block to where I want to take this story. I hope you guys like this! I promise much excitement will come in the next couple of chapters. Thanks to all who stuck through even when I went missing in action. 
> 
> Creds to my best friend/best editor (Fallen_Hufflepuff) <3
> 
> ~ Piper


	7. The Apartment Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO EVERYONE

The first thing she saw was red.

Tens of hundreds of roses surrounded her, in various, beautiful vases. They covered every inch of the apartment. They seemed to pull towards her, almost creating a canopy above her head. Everything around her was a deep shade of crimson, which included her cheeks.

She stumbled in, as if in a trance. 

This couldn’t be real, could it?

Sunlight from the huge windows filtered through the flowers, painting the room in various hues of pink. It took Marinette’s breath away. 

At first glance, it looked as if the wall of flowers was not passable, but at closer inspection, the girl found a small but purposeful opening. 

This had to be a dream, right? 

She ducked down to get through, and when she did she sensed someone else was in the room. Still believing she was dreaming, Marinette looked up just enough to see someone’s feet in front of her, wearing a strangely familiar pair of shoes. She looked up just enough to see lean legs wearing a pair of blue jeans. Her heartbeat quickened.

It’s a dream, Marinette. You're dreaming. 

She moved her eyes up to a black shirt with a white button up thrown casually over it. She counted the stripes on the shirt as her eyes moved slowly up his chest. First a dark purple stripe, then a green stripe, then a yellow stripe. There was the collar of the shirt, a perfect jawline and then--

Marinette’s heart stopped as she looked into his gorgeous, peridot eyes.

Was this really happening? She wasn’t sure anymore, it felt so real. 

A warm hand gently grasped hers and Adrien Agreste pulled the utterly stunned Marinette Dupain-Cheng to her feet. The world seemed to spin as she remembered the last thing she had said to him.

“It’s not like you care anyway.” she thought, shivering. The words echoed through her mind, filling her head up, screaming and chanting those same, damn words.

But her mind went blank when he pulled her close to him. He stared so deep into her eyes that she was sure he was looking into her mind. For all she knew, he could have been, because his next sentence was the answer to the question that had been pounding inside her brain since the silly crush had begun two years ago.

“I do care.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONGRATS YOU MADE IT
> 
> Sorry it took me so long to get here, but here you go, everyone! Even though this is a pretty short chapter I really hope you guys like it! Thank you all for sticking through with this story. I love reading all your wonderful comments and you guys are all so great. Thanks so much!<3
> 
> As usual, thanks to the best editor ever: Fallen_Hufflepuff!
> 
> But WAIT! It's not over...
> 
> I promised you all an identity reveal, didn't I? So there is more to come.
> 
> All in all, thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I hope you'll all like the upcoming chapters!
> 
> ~ Piper


	8. The Dentist Appointment

Marinette had the best boyfriend ever. 

I mean other than the fact that he was freaking Adrien Agreste, he got her food, consistently brought her flowers, and all in all, treated her like a queen. 

And now he was driving her to the dentist because Marinette was getting her wisdom teeth removed. 

They sat there, swaying back and forth with the movement of the car, listening to the radio. Suddenly, a slightly familiar voice began to sing on the radio. 

“BEYONCE!” Adrien screamed with delight, but then immediately quieted down, his face reddening. 

“It’s ok,” she said laughing. He was still pretty reserved around her sometimes. He was suddenly very focused on the road, not looking at Marinette. 

“Adrien,” Marinette said, brushing some of his soft hair out of his eyes. “Adrien you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything.” she gave him a warm, reassuring smile. “Now, tell me about this ‘Beyonce’ you speak of.” She turned the music up as Adrien explained a little bit of the song, still very bashful. His duckling fluff hair bounced as he bobbed his head up and down to the beat.

God, she thought. How did I get so lucky? It had seemed like yesterday that Adrien had showed up in her apartment, when in reality it had been two months ago. Her apartment was still covered with roses because Adrien brought more as soon as the older ones died, keeping her apartment a constant shade of bright red.

They pulled into a parking lot and Adrien parked the car, kissing Marinette on her forehead. 

“You ready?” he asked, taking her hand.

“I guess,” she said, rubbing her thumb mindlessly on his palm. “But what if they do it wrong?” 

“I won’t let anything happen to you, my lady.”

Marinette sat bolt upright.

“What?” she asked as she felt the color drain from her face. But she quickly relaxed, reminding herself that Ladybug wasn't the only person on the planet with that nickname. It was just a silly coincidence. “Sorry,” she said, laughing at the stupid mistake she had made. “I used to know someone who called me that and it just freaked me out, that’s all.” She smiled up at the blonde boy. “I’m ready to go in now.”

Adrien was staring at her with his head slightly cocked to the side. He looked like a small, poised kitten and Marinette booped him on the nose.

“Betcha can’t catch me,” she said, hopping out of the car and sprinting to the other side of the parking lot.

“Bet I can!” Adrien yelled gleefully, chasing after her. She loved it when he was confident around her, his shyness disappearing without a trace. He quickly caught up to her and she felt strong arms lifting her off the ground.

“Gotcha,” he whispered as he held her in his arms. “Now, you have a dentist's appointment now, don’t you?”

Marinette crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip out, mimicking Manon, the young girl she used to babysit. 

“I don’t want to go,” she pouted and tried to pull away.

“I wish it wouldn’t have to come to this,” The boy gave her a sly smile. He suddenly threw her over his left shoulder and continued to walk towards the building.

“Put me down!” Marinette was laughing so hard that tears were coming to her eyes. They must have looked so crazy in that moment; two teenagers crying of laughter, one holding the other, bursting into a quiet waiting room. Casually walking up to the desk with Marinette still draped over his shoulder, Adrien was able to say a few words to the woman at the desk before falling into a fit of laughter. 

“Hi, we’ve got a 3:30 appointment.”

_____________________

 

Everything looked very fuzzy and Marinette had the weird sensation of floating. As she looked in the bathroom mirror, she saw something white stuffed in her cheeks, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was because she couldn't feel it. In fact, she couldn’t feel her mouth at all. She groggily walked out of the bathroom and she let a nurse lead her out to the waiting room.

The nurse walked her out to the waiting room where her boyfriend sat nervously, relief flooding his face when he saw her. She collapsed into his arms.

“I’m sleepy,” she mumbled into his chest as she slumped against him. 

“Let’s get you home then,” he kissed the top of her head and led her out the waiting room door.

Adrien held her hand the whole drive home.

When they finally arrived at her flat, Marinette felt like her head wasn’t connected to her body. Winding through the dozens of rows of red roses, Adrien guided her to the couch where he finally let her collapse. He placed a warm blanket over her before going to the kitchen to make some tea.

“I’m gonna go run some errands, okay?” He said. Marinette vaguely heard the familiar sound of a spoon clinking against the side of a mug as he mixed sugar into the tea. “Don’t get up, you need rest. I’ll be back soon so don’t worry.” he walked over and placed the tea on the coffee table in front of her. 

“I want to help,” Marinette said groggily, pulling on Adrien’s shirt like a toddler.

“No,” Adrien said, kissing her forehead. “You need to sleep. Don’t let me catch you up and about.” he grinned at her, and bashfully waved when he got to the door. “Love you.”

_____________________

 

Marinette couldn’t stand it, anymore. She was REALLY hungry.

Adrien’s voice echoed in her mind, repeating the words he had said half an hour ago when he closed the door. “Don’t let me catch you up and about.” he had said as he smiled. There was something about that smile, so un-Adrien like, that had caught her off guard. It reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t quite place it. 

Her stomach gurgled, pulling her from this last thought. She wanted to get food so badly. Pushing herself up, she shuffled towards the kitchen, winding back and forth through the maze of red flowers.

“Marinette!” squeaked a voice. Tikki flew up to her face. “You have to rest.”

“A bug! Oh no!” Marinette laughed as Tikki cocked her head. “Just kidding, Tikki. I knew it was you. I tricked you didn’t I?” The kwami shook her head, muttering as she tried to push Marinette backwards. 

“You sound like you’re drunk.”

“What if I am?” Marinette swayed to the side, giggling hysterically as if she just told a hilarious joke. She plucked a rose from one of the vases only to drop is as a thorn punctured the skin on her thumb. “Bad flower!” she yelled. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you’ve never had a drop of alcohol in your life.”

“Yeah…” she said, trailing off as she continued towards the kitchen. All she could think about was eating on of the chocolate chip cookies she had made two days ago. She could virtually taste the rich chocolate and sweet dough as she imagined biting into it. 

Suddenly, she heard a key in the lock of the door to her flat.

Adrien.

“Oh no,” Marinette said, her forehead creasing. “He said not to let him catch me out and about!” She look around frantically, and as she spun around a red rose brushed against her cheek.

“Red...” She mumbled as an idea came to her. “I can blend in with red!” Tikki stared at her like she was crazy, only to realize too late what the girl’s plan was. 

“Tikki,” Marinette said as the door swung open. “SPOTS ON!” 

So there stood Ladybug, in the middle of a rose-covered apartment, just as a very alarmed Adrien walked through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDENTITY REVEALS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks to all who have been leaving such lovely comments, they really brighten my day.
> 
> Also this fanfic got to 1000 hits yay! 
> 
> Special thanks to my trusty editor: Fallen_Hufflepuff ! Don't know what I'd do without her.
> 
> Leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, feedback, criticism, ideas, or if you just want to talk about ML. ❤️
> 
> ~Piper


	9. The Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!!!
> 
> Sorry to leave you guys on such a cliffhanger last time and not get the new chapter up for so long. My best friend/editor and I were both super busy, including the fact that we both were on a five day camping trip with no access to the internet. *shivers*
> 
> Anyway, my fabulous editor also wanted to leave a note, so I'm copying it in below.
> 
> Hi! Thanks for supporting the story so far. I’m sorry chapters haven’t been released very quickly over the past few weeks. It’s my fault for not editing. Sorry. I can assure you that I won’t hold off editing so that you guys can get your chapters quicker.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Fallen_Hufflepuff
> 
> Although she says so, it's not her fault. We were both busy and it's a big time commitment for her to edit (because she does such a damn good job). Thanks for making my writing readable, Fallen_Hufflepuff. You're the best <3
> 
> Anyway (again), I really hope you guys like the chapter!! It's one of my favorite's so far. Some things to come to look forward to:
> 
> -Adrien POV  
> -Adrien backstory  
> -Adrien crushing on Marinette  
> -Adrien being a poor, conflicted, cinnamon roll  
> -Adrien in general  
> -oh yeah and a reveal forgot about part ;)
> 
> Congrats if you've made it this far. Enjoy the chapter. Love you all.
> 
> ~Piper

Adrien dropped his keys as the flash of bright red light hit him on his way in. 

There she was. In all her glory and magnificence, his Ladybug stood before him. His mind went fuzzy, leaving him with the million dollar question; how did she get in the apartment?

Then he realized that he had carried her in a half hour before, only she was in her civilian form. 

The thought hit him like a truck and he stumbled backwards, staring at her eyes. How had he never realized this before? Every detail of her was sharp and in-focus, and oh so painfully clear.

This wasn’t pain though. I mean, how could it be? It was perfect. There was always the fear in the back of his mind that he might still have feelings for Ladybug, even though he loved Marinette, and how he was a terrible person for those feelings. That didn’t matter anymore though, because there she was, as clear as a cloudless sky, his Lady. Well, a very tired and drugged Lady, but his Lady all the same. He had just enough time to run to her as her eyes rolled back, She collapsed into his arms from the exhaustion. 

He carried her to her room, her eyelashes fluttering lightly with every gentle step he took. Her physique was so, so Marinette that he felt like the biggest idiot in the world for not realizing it until now. His Ladybug that he had been head over heels in love with for years had been right in front of him the whole time.

Or rather, right behind him. 

He smiled as school Marinette memories (or Mari-mories as he thought of them) flowed through his mind and took over, as if he was on TV and the camera cut to a backstory. He remembered how Marinette’s beautiful, porcelain face would light up like a Christmas tree every time he walked into class, and how she always made an effort to be nice to everyone. His mind had been elsewhere in those days though, so completely focused on his superhero partner that he had never thought of Marinette as anything other than a good friend.

It had all changed at the end of Senior year when he found out she was leaving. Now that she wouldn’t be around, he realized how much he needed her. Thoughts of Marinette quickly took place of Ladybug, the way she walked, the way she talked, the way she laughed. He wanted to soak up every ounce of her sunshine, upset with himself for not noticing her until she was about to leave forever. He would sneak glances at her, walk by the bakery every day, and search for her in the hallways to see if she was at school. He even asked his father to hire her so she could stay in Paris, but as usual, Gabriel ignored him. 

Marinette was everything he wanted, so much that it hurt him. It hurt him that he was able to talk to everyone except her. It hurt that he couldn’t find a way to tell anyone this, not even his best friend, Nino. And what hurt most of all was that there was no way in heaven or hell that she liked him back.

When she had called him that cold, grey morning, his heart had jumped up into his throat. He could barely breathe but managed a greeting.

“Hello? Marinette?” his hands were shaking but he had kept his voice calm.

“H-hi,” he heard her stutter, and his face went red at the thought of her being nervous around him. His heart pounded in his ears and he grasped the phone with white knuckles as he asked the question he had been dreading the answer to.

“Have you left for New York yet?” The words made him wince, wondering how he would go on if he didn’t get to say goodbye. He rambled on, losing meaning to words but just wanting to talk to her. “I called your house phone to say goodbye but your parents said you’d already left, and I just wanted to say goodbye and I’ll miss you and I lo--” He stopped, realizing what he had almost said. The line had gone silent. “Marinette?”

“Hmm?” She didn’t seem to have heard his ‘almost-confession,’ so he slowly continued on. 

“Anyway,” he started, trying to keep his voice even. “How are you?”

Goddammit, Adrien. He smacked his forehead. She’s leaving Paris for god knows how long and you ask “How are you?” You idiot.

“Sad to be leaving.” she said quietly. He had to stop himself from whimpering aloud. She sounded miserable, and he somehow felt responsible.

“I get that,” he said sincerely. 

“But I’m happy I don’t have to take finals while all you losers who are staying here do.” He laughed at her lighthearted joke, but could hear the pain in her voice behind it.

“Anyway, I, uh, I called you for a reason actually.” she said nervously. 

He tried to keep his voice upbeat and peppy, secretly dreading the worst case scenario. “Yeah? What is it?”

“Well since I’m leaving I won’t really see you anymore, and so I’ll just go out and say it.”

Everything was quiet. All he wanted was to hear her voice but it didn’t come. After what seemed like hours, Adrien inhaled, preparing to speak. He was going to tell her. He would tell her how head over heels he was for her, how he skipped major photo shoots to come to school just to see her face, how she had consumed his life. He opened his mouth to tell her but she beat him to it. 

Her voice was almost a whisper. “Adrien,” she started. The sound of her speaking his name was nothing less than magical. “Adrien, I like you. It sounds cheesy and stupid saying it but it’s true. Ever since that day you handed me that umbrella, I’ve been crazy for you.”

He gaped. Did she really just say that? He almost dropped the phone.

“So, um, that’s why I called.” 

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He wanted so badly to but all he could do was grip the phone as if his life depended on it. He heard her breathing. Don’t hang up, Marinette. He thought. 

“Well,” she said, quickly. 

Don’t hang up. Don’t hang up.

“It’s not like you care anyway.” Her voice was sharp.

She hung up. 

And it broke his heart.

_____________________

Adrien was standing at the foot of Marinette’s bed, lost in thought. A tear dropped onto Ladybug’s cheek and it was only then that he realized he had been crying as he remembered that morning. He carefully set her down on the bed and curled up next to her, drawing her head to his chest. He fell asleep with his arms around her, but awoke to the sound of her voice what seemed like moments later. A quick look at the clock proved that wrong. They had been asleep for three hours. 

“Adrien,” she mumbled groggily. She looked up at him with half-closed eyelids behind her red mask. “why are you crying?” She reached up to rub a tear away only to stop short when she saw her hand. Specifically her red with black polka dots, spandex covered hand. Her eyes were wide when she met his gaze again. 

“A-Adrien,” she began to shake, pulling away from him. “What happened? How did I--” Her words began to jumble and she stood up, pacing the length of her room. He stood up and gently took her arm, pulling her around to face him. 

“Marinette,” he started. She had tears in her eyes.

“I’m a terrible Miraculous holder!” she yelled, yanking her arm from his grasp. “I’m an idiot! Okay? I’m so stupid!”

“Marinette you're not s-”

“Yes I am!” She was screaming, kicking the wall, her face red.

“Listen to me! Marinette-” Adrien felt like he was about to cry. Had he done this to her?

“You have no idea,” she cried, pointing a finger at him. “You have no idea what it’s like! I haven’t ever been able to tell my own goddamn parents!”

“Marinette, I know what it’s l-” 

“NO YOU DON’T!” She wrapped her arms around herself and sunk to the ground, shoulders shaking.

“Yes he does.”

Both of the teenagers’ heads snapped towards the small black cat floating next to Adrien’s head.

The kwami plopped down on Adrien’s shoulder as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“You two have a lot to talk about.” Plagg said with a hint of a smirk in his voice.


End file.
